3 Weeks Away - Reddie
by 2manyships2sail
Summary: The Losers have been best friends since 5th grade. Now their at the end of 10th grade and its nearly summer. And they're intending to spend it together. Bill's father buys a house for them to stay in. It's just them. No adults. What could go wrong?
1. A Plan For The Holiday

Today is the last day of 10th grade and everyone is getting antsy in their seats. Especially the Losers. They were excited to be spending almost the whole summer together in a big house, Bill's father had bought for them to stay in. It had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Bill said that the sleeping arrangements would be decided once they'd arrived at the house. Apparently the house was built a few years ago and only one family had lived there. It was a family of 5, 2 adults and 3 kids. They moved out after a few years because it was 'too expensive'. So Zach, Bill's father, bought it a few weeks after they'd moved out.

Everyone had one period left until the last bell went, signaling that summer had started. Some people pack up 5 minutes before the end but some pack up halfway through the lesson. The Losers Club for example. They were just too excited.

In the classroom, the desks are in pairs. Everyone was allowed to choose where they sat, as long as they were sensible, at the start of the year. Eddie made terrible decision of sitting next to Richie. He has grown to ignore the immature boy sitting to his right. In front of them sat Bill and Stan. The whole club, except them, knew that they both like each other. But what they don't know, is that they're actually dating. And have been, for the past few weeks. They're planning on telling the rest of Losers when they arrive at the house. One time, Eddie had seen Bill put his hand on Stan's knee and then Stan put his hand on top. Then he nudged Richie's arm and told him to look at them, which made Richie make a funny comment. Mike sits on the table to the left of Eddie. He sits next to a girl named Robin. The Losers think he may have a crush on her but he won't confirm it. And finally, Ben and Beverly sit behind Eddie and Richie. Everyone knows that Ben has a huge crush on Bev. She knows, of course, but doesn't say anything.

"I bet you $10, they'll get together over summer!" Bev says to Ben, smiling and grabbing his hand, ready to shake it, "But if they don't, I'll pay you $10! Deal?" She gives him an expectant look, waiting for him answer.

"Deal!" Ben smiles back and they shake hands, Ben blushing slightly.

"Good!" Bev says, then turns back to the teacher.

Richie, however, had heard them talking. The teacher had told everyone to work out questions 1 - 20 and said they could talk quietly. Richie took this as an opportunity to ask them, who they were talking about. Bill and Stan or him and Eddie? His eyes widen.

Wait did he actually just think that?

Richie has known that he was gay for a few years now. He told the Losers and they were completely OK with it. He saw Eddie smiling but didn't ask why. Also Bev said 'I'm not surprised!'. Richie had opened his mouth to reply but then decided against it.

"Hey Rich, you alright?" Bev asks him.

"Yep totally fine" He hadn't realised, but he had already pushed back his chair to their table.

"Anyway how can we help you?"

"I was just wandering who you guys were talking about just now?" He says resting his elbow on the table.

"Um..." They both say, looking at each other.

"I just want to know if you're talking about Big Bill and Stan the man or me and Eds" He says 'Eds' a bit too loudly. Richie also realises what he had just said and covers his mouth with his hands.

"Don't call me that!" Eddie says, not looking up, obviously hearing him. Bev just looks at Richie grinning.

"I knew it!" Bev began, pointing at Richie, "I knew you liked him!"

"OK, OK! Fine, maybe I do!" Richie whisper - shouted and blushed, looking back at Eddie to see if he heard anything. But he was focused on his work, "You can't tell anyone and you, Haystack!" He says, shifting his gaze to Ben.

"Anyway I must be getting on! Still have 20 questions to do" Richie says, before moving back to his desk.

Once everyone has done the questions, theres one minute till the bell goes and the hallways are to be filled with a stampede of teenagers, eager to get home. Everyone is packed up ready to leave.

The bell goes and everyone rushes out. The Losers grab their bikes and say their goodbyes and head home. They cycle home with one other person or two because there are 7 of them. Richie and Eddie, Bill and Stan, Ben and Bev and Mike. Each of them are super excited for their little holiday together. Especially Ben and Bev because they have their 'let's get Richie and Eddie together' plan to look forward to.

**Hello my good fellows.** **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter.** **The next one should be up... Whenever I finish it.** **Anyway...** **Ciao!****-**

**\- Abi**


	2. Coming Out

After parting ways with Richie, Eddie rolls up onto his driveway. His mum's and dad's car's parked there. He rests his bike on the side of the house and walks up the porch steps. He opened the door and stepped inside. Sonia Kaspbrak is sitting on the couch watching the TV, with a mug in hand. Frank Kaspbrak (Yes Eddie does have a dad in this) is in the kitchen making their dinner. Eddie throws his rucksack down onto the floor, catching the attention of his parents.

"Hey son," Frank says turning around, "How was school?"

"It was fine," Eddie begins, sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen, "but Sir still gave us work to do in last period!"

Sonia laughs from living room, "Of course he did!" She gets up and walks into the kitchen, putting her mug in the dishwasher, "Don't you need get packing for your holiday?"

"Oh yeah, I'll go now and do it" He smiles and stands up, "I'm leaving at... 10, aren't I?"

"Yeah" Sonia says, then goes back into living room, to watch more TV.

Eddie runs up the stairs and bursts into his room. He walks over to his wardrobe and reaches up to grab his suitcase from the top of it. He realises he can't reach it so he goes to find a stool to stand on. If Richie was here he would make some stupid comment on how short Eddie was. That is one of the reasons why he loves him.

Eddie has loved Richie since 6th grade, a year after they met. Thinking Richie would never like him back, he never made it obvious. He's only told Stan and Bill. If he told Bev she would make it so obvious.

Eddie has sort of grown out of those short-shorts he used wear. He's now into wearing stuff like denim jeans and short sleeved tops but, occasionally, he wears shorts. His mum doesn't make him wear a fanny pack anymore because she finally told him that he doesn't actually need any of the pills. But he still needs his inhaler.

After 10 minutes, he's packed 3 weeks worth of jeans, shorts, t-shirts, underwear and jumpers (sweaters). Tomorrow Bill is picking everyone up, one by one, and then they'll be on the way to the house.

Sonia knocks on his bedroom door and opens it and peeks her head in, "Dinner's ready, by the way."

"OK, I'll be down in a second." Eddie says. She nods and closes the door. He hears her footsteps fade as she walks back downstairs. 'This is the perfect opportunity for me to tell them' Eddie thinks to himself. He's nervous but really wants to get it off his chest.

He ran downstairs and into the dining room and sat in the empty chair at the front of the table. Frank had made the dinner, some sort of sausage casserole. Eddie had always liked his father's cooking, it was much better than his mother's.

They sat in silence as they ate their food. Eddie finished his food quickly and then set his cutlery down on his plate so he could speak.

"Mum, dad, I-I need to tell y-you something," He says, catching the attention of his parents.

"What is it, son? You're starting to sound like your friend Bill!" Frank jokes.

Eddie sighs as he prepares himself for what he's about to say, "I-I'm... gay!" He looks down at his hands and plays with his fingers.

His parents exchange a look of happiness. They stand up and walk over to him and pull him into a big hug.

"We're so proud of you!" Frank says, pulling away from the hug, "Do you, you know, like anyone?"

Eddie was a bit taken aback by his father's question. He debated on whether he should tell them. He decides, yes, he will.

"Uh, yeah I do," Eddie hesitates, "It's... It's Richie..." His parents pause for a second, then pull him into an even bigger hug.

Sonia pulls back to speak, "How long have you, uh, liked him?" Eddie looks up at her.

"Since the 6th grade..."

"You've a secret that _big_ from us for what?... 4 years?" Sonia says, sitting back in her chair, with Frank following suit.

Eddie whispers a small 'sorry' and Sonia reaches over and puts a hand on his arm, giving him a look of sympathy. "It's alright, Eddie! We're not angry" She smiles at him then clears away the plates.

Eddie excuses himself from the table and rushes up the stairs and into his room. He flops onto the bed and grabs his phone from the bedside table.

_Chatting with Bill and Stan_

_Eddie:_ Hey guys?

_Stan:_ Yeet

_Bill:_ What's up?

_Eddie:_ I came out to my parents!

_Bill:_ Well that's great!

_Stan:_ yeah

_Eddie:_ Thanks

_Bill:_

_Stan:_ No probs

_Eddie:_ I should be going now. See you tomorrow!

_Eddie:_ Bye

_Stan:_ See ya!

_Bill:_ Bye!

Eddie shuts off his phone and puts it where he found it. He changes into his pyjamas, does his teeth then checks he has all his stuff ready for tomorrow. He shouts goodnight down to his parents, then shuts his door and hops into bed. He stares up at the ceiling for a few minutes before drifting into sleep.


	3. The Journey Begins

The sound of an alarm woke Richie up. He stretches over with his left hand and turns it off, then grabs his glasses which lay next to it.

He rolls out of bed and walks over to his drawers. He takes out a pair of black jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He lays them on his bed, well he didn't lay them, he threw them and then went to take a shower.

In the shower he thinks about yesterday at school. About his conversation with Ben and Bev. About how they didn't actually answer his question. They were probably talking about Bill and Stan because everyone knew they liked each other, it was obvious. Maybe a bit too obvious.

Richie comes out of the shower, his wet hair sticking to his forehead, and quickly gets dressed since he still needs to pack a few things for the trip. A big black suitcase is perched on his desk chair, looking as if it were about to fall off due to the load inside it. Once he's finished packing, he zips up the case and drags it downstairs.

His parents are both downstairs. Wentworth Tozier is rushing around the house, getting ready for work. While Maggie Tozier is leaning on the counter in the kitchen sipping a cup of tea and watching her husband.

"Morning Richie!" His mother says as he pulls the case closer to the front door.

"Morning" He replies with a smile.

"Are you excited for your trip?"

"Yep! I'm just excited to be spending 3 whole weeks with my best friends!" Richie stands next to his mother, making himself a cup of tea, since she was standing right next to the kettle and mugs.

"And Eddie...?" Maggie nudges Richie's side while smiling. Richie just rolls his eyes and continues to make his drink. Richie came out to his parents a few weeks ago and they accepted him instantly. He said that he had a crush on Eddie and they just hugged him even tighter.

"Yes..." Richie says and rolls his eyes again, "...Eddie will be there too!" He takes his mug and sits on a stall. Maggie puts a plate with 2 waffles on, in front of him and tells him to eat. He checks the time, it's 9:35. He has 25 minutes to be extra ready for when Bill comes to pick him up.

They're travelling in a 7 seated van, which they're renting for the next few weeks. Normally in 7 seated cars there's not much space for the two people in the very back but their van is very spacious. There's also enough space to put all their bags. Bev's being picked up first so she offered to drive.

Richie finishes his breakfast and drink. The time is now 9:50 so he slips on his jacket and sneakers. He has his suitcase and a rucksack for if or when they go on a hike and also for his phone charger and headphones/earplugs.

He stands outside and waits for a couple of minutes until he see the van pull up infront of his house. Richie bids farewell to his parents and drags his case over to the van. Mike comes out and helps him put it into the trunk. Richie sees that everyone is there except for Eddie. Bev and Ben in the front; Bill, Stan and Mike in the back and the last two seats, in the back-back, for Eddie and Richie. He gets in and Bev starts driving towards Eddie's house.

They roll up infront of Eddie's home and he comes out. But not without a kiss on the forehead form his mother. Richie sees Eddie's face cringe as she does so, which makes him smile. Again Mike gets out to help Eddie with his belongings. Eddie gets in next to Richie. They smile at each other.

"Right, is everyone ready?" Bev shouts form the front seat. Everyone replies with either a 'yes' or a 'yeah'. Pleased with everyone's replies, Bev begins the journey. Mike's on his phone, Bill and Stan are chatting quietly to one another, Ben's reading, Eddie's staring out the window and Richie, well, he's staring at the side of Eddie's face.

The journey is around 6 hours long. After the first hour Stan and Bill are sleeping, Stans head resting on Bill's shoulder; Ben, Mike and Bev are chatting happily. Richie looks over at Bill and Stan and sees that their hands are laced together, he smiles at them. He sits back in his seat and begins to stare out the window.

He takes out his earplugs and plugs them into his phone. Scrolling through his library he decides to listen to the album, Pray For The Wicked by Panic! At The Disco. He closes his eyes just listening to the music.

5 minutes later he feels pressure on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he sees that Eddie's head is resting on him. He smiles to himself. Richie then leans down and presses a kiss to the top of his head.

Maybe this holiday will be better then expected!?


	4. The Journey Continues

At some point Eddie woke up but didn't move andstill feeling quite tired. He realised that his head was resting Richie's shoulder. Richie had fallen asleep a few minutes beforehand, earplugs still in his ears and music still playing. Eddie lifted his head so he could see Richie's face. Richie was quite a deep sleeper so when Eddie moved a curl that had fallen over his eyes, he didn't flinch or anything. Eddie thought that he looked very peaceful when he slept.

Eddie had a look at everyone else. Mike and Ben were sleeping, Stan and Bill were still leaning on each other and sleeping. He glanced over at Bev, who looked at him through the mirror then smiled and winked at him. He knew she'd probably catch on so enough or maybe she already had.

'You love him, don't you?' Bev mouthed to him because saying it out loud would end up waking everyone elseup. His eyes widened. He didn't know whether to say yes or no. But she's right so there's no denying it now. While nodding he mouths back 'But don't tell anyone!'. She squeals in delight.

She smiles at him, "I promise!" She says out loud and continues to drive. Eddie looks around at the others but one stirred, except Bill who said something inaudible in his sleep.

Eddie looked back at Richie, he then leaned back in his seat. He rested his head back onto Richie's shoulder and closed his eyes, falling back asleep.

Both Richie and Eddie woke up to loud chatting. Everyone else had been awake for the past half an hour. They were talking quietly trying not to wake the 'lovebirds', as Bev put it. They decided it was time to get lunch as the time was 12:50. They pulled in at a nearby Services.

Everyone got out of the van. Eddie needing a little help, from Richie, getting out. The others just awed as they watched them help each other. They walked into a random diner and sat down in a booth. It was a 6 seater one so someone had to sit on the end. It went Bev, Eddie, Richie on one side; Ben, Stan, Bill on the other and Mike sat on the end.

A man, who seemed to the waiter, came over to them and took everyone's order. He comes back 10 minutes later with their food. They sat in silence enjoying their meal. Someone would occasionally say something but other than that they just ate.

Bill and Stan were holding hands under the table. Every time one of the others crouched under to pick something up, they would let go, feared of being caught. They both knew that the others would be totally fine with it.

Everybody had finished their food in under 10 minutes because they were so hungry. Mike payed and, as quick as they could, everyone went to relieve themselves. Hopefully they won't need to stop again.

Bev unlocked the van and everyone got in, making themselves comfortable for the long journey ahead. The journey was 4 hours long and they still had 3 hours to go. Eddie and Richie were back to sitting next to each other which they both enjoyed very much. Bev started driving again and they were back on the highway. Richie wanted to start a conversation with Eddie, then he remembered something.

Richie cleared his throat, "I came up with a new nickname for you, you know!" Eddie gazed up and smiled at him.

"Oh yeah! And what might that be?"

"...Eddie Spaghetti!" Richie tells him, grinning. Eddie rolled his eyes at him.

"That's..." Eddie began, "Its better than Eds but still annoying!"

Richie ruffles Eddie's hair and says, "Aww, but it suites and its cute!" He drags out the word 'and'. Eddie looks up at him and then turns away because of his blush. Richie sees Eddie's blush but keeps his mouth shut not wanting to embarrass him.

Everyone is having their own conversations and they just talk about anything that comes to mind. Bev watches Richie and Eddie through the mirror and thinks about how cute they look together. She wished that they would just admit their 'undying love' for each other.

After about an hour of talking and laughing, the Losers (except Bev) settle down in their seats to sleep. Richie rested his chin on his hand as he looked out the window, at sea of cars passing by. He leaned back in his seat to face forwards. He glanced over at Eddie.

"You can lean on me if you want?" Eddie smiled at him then leaned into Richie, who then wrapped his left arm around Eddie's shoulder. He heard Eddie sigh softly.

As Eddie rested on Richie, he could hear his heartbeat, which was going quite fast. Soon Eddie was asleep and Richie was on the brink of sleeping. Everyone else had fallen asleep and Bev was too concentrated on driving to notice anything. She had the radio on low so only she and Ben could hear it, even though Ben was sleeping. Too tired to think, Richie rested his head on top of Eddie's and fell asleep.


	5. Arriving

The next five hours passed by quickly. Everyone had woken up at least once or twice during the ride. At one point Bev had been so tired that she almost fell asleep while driving. Thankfully she'd bought a flask of coffee with her, as a sort of 'pick me up'. She had asked Ben to go into her bag and take it out for her, since her bag was at his feet. When she had it in her hands, she drank about half the flask in one go, ignoring the burning feeling in the back of her throat.

One of Bev's favourite songs came on and she started singing quietly to herself. No one had ever heard her song before. She only sung when she was alone or in her room.

"You have a lovely voice." A sleepy voice said from next to her. Bev took her eyes off the road for a moment to look at him and they smiled at each other.

"Thanks" She said smiling then turned her gaze towards the road again. She didn't know why but she got a funny feeling in her stomach when he smiled at her. She chose to ignore it and continued driving.

The Losers had arrived at the house 10 minutes ago but Bev didn't wake them because she thought they all looked very peaceful. She took out her phone and took a selfie of herself with the others in the background, sleeping happily.

She tried to think of a way to wake them all up and then she looked down at the radio. Cranking the volume up the whole way, she turns the radio on and music starts blasting out the speakers. Everyone starts to wake up. First it's Ben, then Bill, Mike, Stan, Richie and then (with the help of Richie prodding his cheek) Eddie. Bev turns the radio off and takes the keys out of the ignition.

"Good, now that everyone's awake let's check out this house!" Bev says with a smile. They all hop out the van and grab their stuff from the trunk. They all stare up at the large house in front of them.

"That's the biggest house I've ever fucking seen!" Richie exclaimed. Everyone agreed because it was, in fact, a very big house. "Right come on then Billiam, open the door!"

Bill walks up the front lawn, goes up a few stairs and stands in front of the front door. He takes the keys out of his pocket and pushes them into the lock and turns it clockwise until he hears a click. He turns back to others.

"C-come on g-guys!" He shouts to them smiling. Stan is the first to move and the rest follow suit.

The house smells new despite it being around 5 to 10 years old (which is actually pretty new for a house). The carpet is black with yellow, red and white squares overlapping each other. As you walk the staircase is on the right and there's a fire place and seven airers in front, one for each of them, to the left. Almost on the opposite side there is the back door. Turn right and ahead of you is the living room. To the right of the living room is a large kitchen and on the left is the dining room.

When you go up the stairs, there's 3 bedrooms and bathroom. If you go up the next flight of stairs (the renovated attic) there are 2 bedrooms joined together by a small passage way, a library and a bathroom.

The yard is pretty big. The driveway curves round to the back of the house and there's no garage. There is a single tree with two swings attached to the strongest branches. A campfire takes up the middle of the yard, it has four logs around it. Then there are seven lounge chairs on sand. Lastly there's a pool with a deep and shallow end.

Right now the Losers are standing around the bottom of the stairs just admiring the house, well as much of it as they could see from where they were. Bill's father had written down who would be sleeping where. Bill took out the small piece of paper from his pocket and read aloud.

"O-on the f-first floor is; M-mike and B-ben, Me and S-stan," He looked up at Stan and smiled at him, who then smiled back, "and B-bev on h-her own." Stan walked over to Bill and finished for him.

"And on the top floor, since there's no one else, that leaves Richie and Eddie." Stan and Bill looked at each and smirked.

Everyone went upstairs and into their dedicated rooms. Richie and Eddie were both really happy to be 'sharing' a room together. Eddie would roll his eyes when Richie said something stupid but when Richie had left his part of the room he'd laugh quietly to himself.

Everyone was unpacking their stuff into the appropriate places. And when they were finished, they all went downstairs and sat on the sofas chatting about anything that came into their minds. Bill and Stan were planning to tell them. They'd been talking about it while they unpacked. Stan looked at Bill and he nodded. Stan then cleared his throat.

"Uh... guys we've got something to tell you."


	6. Campfire Kisses

"Uh...guys we've got something to tell you." Everyone turned to look at them. Stan reached out and grabbed Bill's hand.

"Oh my god! It's happening!" Bev squealed, looking down at their joined hands. Stan rolled his eyes then continued.

"We, um... we're dating!?" He said with his eyes closed. When he'd finished he reopened his eyes to look at his friends, who all had smiles on their faces. Richie is the first to speak up.

"So have you guys ever had sex or something?!" He said with a stupid smile on his face. Eddie who is sitting next to him, slaps him round the back of the head. "Ow! I was just asking!" Now it's Bill's turn to roll his eyes.

"My children are finally growing up!" Bev began. She then stands up and hugs both of them, "No but seriously, I'm happy for you!" She pauses then quietly says, "Now onto the next..." Bev looks over at Richie and Eddie. Eddie see's that she is eyeing them and flips her off, Richie's to busy cleaning his glasses to notice.

"Anyways, completely changing the subject, what are we going to do about food?" Mike pipes up.

"That is a good point well made Michael." Richie says in his take of a posh British accent.

Eddie looks up at Richie, "That was probably the most shitty British accent I've ever heard."

"Oh you loved it really." Richie replied, wrapping an arm around Eddie's shoulders.

"Anyway..." Bev drags the word out, "I'll go see if there is anything in the fridge." She stands up walks out the room. Ben stands up as well and follows her.

A few minutes later they come back out carrying two packs of chipolatas and two packs of burgers.

"These were just in the fridge. And they're not even out of date. Seems like they were bought a few days ago." Ben states.

"There's a fire pit out in the yard. So let's cook them on there." Bev says walking to the back door and opening it. She turns round to see if the others were following.

"Are you guys coming or not?" She goes out the door then comes back in. "Would be a good idea of we had a pan or something. You know, to cook them!"

Mike stands up, "I'll go and have a look in the cupboards"

"Great okay. Everyone else grab your coats and blankets if you want them. Bearing in mind that it will get colder, as the night goes on." Bev told them as Mike went to find a pan.

The others ran to their rooms to grab what they needed. They came back with a coat and blanket each. In each room, on each bed, there was a fluffy blanket so they just took them. Ben had got Mike's stuff for him since he was busy.

10 minutes later everyone was sitting on the logs surrounding the fire. The sausages and burgers were sizzling away on a pan above the flame, Mike would turn them over every now and then.

Bill and Stan were sitting, cuddled on a log with a blue fluffy blanket draped over them both. Ben, Mike and Bev were sitting on a log together, a blanket hung from each of their shoulders. And Richie and Eddie were also sharing a blanket but it was only because Richie pleaded Eddie to share with him. They weren't cuddling, as such, but their shoulders and legs were touching. Neither of them moved because they both enjoyed the feeling of butterflies in their stomachs.

When the meat was cooked, they sat in silence as they devoured their food. Stan had found a couple of packets of hot dog rolls and burger buns that they ate as well instead of eating the meat by itself.

Bev had suggested they played Truth or Dare since they had nothing else do to. It was night time so they only had the flickering light of the fire to see each other. Everyone agreed to play and Bev suggested that Bill should go first.

"Bill, truth or dare?" She asked smiling.

"D-dare." Bev thinks for a second then says;

"Kiss Stan... on the lips!" She grinned seeing their shocked faces.

"O-ok t-then...um." Bill turned to face his boyfriend. They'd kissed once or twice before but that was in the safety of Bill's bedroom. "We d-don't have t-to. I-I m-mean it's o-only a game." Stan's hand found its way to Bill's cheek, on the side that the others couldn't see, and he smiled at him. With their faces already being the a few inches apart, Bill leaned forward and pressed his lips to Stan's.

The others start whooping and cheering. Stan smiles against Bill's lips. They pull away from the kiss after a few more seconds.

"There. Is that good enough for you?" Stan said wrapping his arm around Bill's waist and resting his head on his shoulder.

"You guys are the cutest gay couple I've ever seen!" exclaimed Bev. Richie gazed over at Eddie and they locked eye contact. Eddie suddenly looked down at his fingers, a blush spread across his face.

They played a few more rounds but nothing special happened. Eventually everyone decided that it was late and they should go up to bed.


	7. I'm In Love With You

During the night Richie woke up, picking up his phone and seeing the time was 3 a.m. in the morning. He wasn't sure why he'd woken up until he heard sobbing coming from the other part of the room. After putting his glasses on, he pulls back the duvet and stands up. He walks through the small passage into Eddie's section.

He sat on the edge of the bed closest to Eddie and places his hand on others head. Eddie was whimpering and moving slightly in his sleep.

"Hey Eddie, wake up." He moves Eddie's hair out of his eyes, "You're having a nightmare." Eddie stops shaking and slowly starts to wake up. He looks up at Richie.

"What are you doing here, Richie?" Eddie turns on the bedside lamp and sits up.

"Well, my darling Eds, you were having a nightmare and I just came to check on you." Richie blushes, "To see if you're alright!"

Eddie nods then looks around the room.

"Do you, uh, want to talk about? I mean only if you want to."

"Um...Well it was a dream about... about you!" Eddie looks into Richie eyes, and they both blushes.

"Oh yeah! What happened?"

"You saved my life. You pushed me out the way when a car was speeding towards me!" Richie could already tell what happened. "You were fucking hit by the car and I called an ambulance but... they couldn't save you! I just remember crying constantly." Eddie starts crying at that moment from thinking about it. Richie pulls him in for a hug and holds him tightly.

Richie pulls back just enough to look at Eddie's face. He wipes a few tears away and his hand lingers on his cheek. Without thinking Richie leans forward and pecks Eddie's lips. He quickly pulls away and stands up.

"Sorry." Richie turns and runs back into his section, leaving Eddie frozen and eyes wide. Richie got the wrong impression from him and really, Eddie liked it. Hell he loved it, even if it was just a peck.

Being too tired to do anything else, Eddie switches off the light and gets comfortable again. He falls asleep within seconds.

Richie, on the other hand, was lying in his bed the duvet lazily slung across him and he's staring up at the ceiling thinking about what he just did and that Eddie probably hates him. Eventually he drifts off to sleep.

Richie really does not want to get up this morning but he knows he has to. Despite how much he loves Eddie, he doesn't want to see him. He decides he will talk to Bev.

Bev is good at listening to people. Richie thinks she could be a counselor when she's older, but probably not.

Richie runs down the staircase, from the third to the second floor, and into Bev's room. She's not there. Annoyed, Richie runs down the next staircase and to the living room. Everyone's there except Eddie, Bev and Ben.

"Has anyone seen Bev?" They look up at the slightly out if breath boy.

"I think she's upstairs? Maybe!" Mike says. Richie nods and goes back up the stairs. When he reaches the top step Bev walks out of Ben and Mike's shared room. He looks at her confused.

"What were you doing in there?" He asks.

"Uh... Nothing!" Bev says looking a bit flushed.

"Anyway I wanted to talk to you about something," He drags Bev by the wrist into her room and they both sit on her bed. Bev looks at him expectantly, "It's about Eddie... I kissed him... Last night!"

"Oh wow. Uh, ok" She thinks for a second, "How did it, you know, come about?" Richie is surprised. Normally she wouldn't be this serious.

"Well I heard him crying so went to check on him. I woke him up and asked him if he wanted to tell me about his nightmare. He did and I hugged him when he started to cry again. I wiped a few of his tears away and then I kissed him. I ran away before he could say anything." She looked shocked but didn't say anything, "I don't know what to do! And now he hates me!"

Bev hugs him and strokes his back, "He doesn't hate you, I'll tell you that!"

"What do you mean?"

She ponders whether to tell him or not. Eddie will probably hate her instead. Oh, fuck it! She thinks. "He loves you Richie! Truly he does. He told me, well, I figured it out..."

"How?"

"It's just the way he looks at you... and the way you look at him."

"I-umm... Thanks, I think." He gives her one last hug before standing up and walking out the room. She hears him go down the stairs and trip on the last few. He curses which makes Bev laugh.

Richie is eating bowl of cereal, feeling good, when Eddie comes and sits on the stool next to him. Almost instantly, everything he was feeling before his chat with Beverly comes flooding back.

"Look. I'm sorry for what happened last night. I don't know what came over me." At first Eddie doesn't say anything.

He looks at Richie, "I liked it! Even though it was only short."

Richie's shocked, "Really?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind doing it again!" That's when he looks down at his hands and starts playing with his fingers. Those words make Richie's heart beat faster. What does he do? Kiss him again or do nothing? He chooses the first option.

Using his fingers, Richie moves Eddie's face to look at him. Eddie knows what's about happen and goes along with it. They both lean in and their lips touch. The feeling in both their stomachs is fireworks. Fireworks is the only thing to describe it.

It lasts 10 seconds. When they pull away, they stare into each others eyes and smile.

"I like you Eddie. Hell I'm in love with you!"

"I'm in love with you too!"


End file.
